"Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing Cross, there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatch-box with my name, John H. Watson, M.D., painted upon the lid. It is crammed with papers, nearly all of which are records of cases to illustrate the curious problems which Mr. Sherlock Holmes has at various times to examine."

Sunday, August 2, 2015

The Adventures of Solar Pons (1976)

Unique among Sherlock Holmes pastiches are the adventures of Solar Pons "the Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street." On hearing that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had no plans to write more Holmes stories, 19-year-old August Derleth wrote the author asking permission to take over the series. Doyle declined, so Derleth created his own detective, Solar Pons, modeled very closely on Sherlock and his world. Derleth would ultimately write more Pons stories than Doyle wrote about Holmes.

First published in 1945, this is a 1976 UK paperback of the first collection of Pons stories with terrific cover art.

In his inverness cape Solar Pons steps briskly from No 7B Praed Street onto the mist-shrouded cobblestones of old London's alleyways. 
The game is afoot... 
The Adventure of the Frightened Baronet
The Adventure of the Late Mr. Faversham
The Adventure of the Black Narcissus
The Adventure of the Norcross Riddle
The Adventure of the Retired Novelist
The Adventure of the Three Red Dwarfs
The Adventure of the Sotheby Salesman
The Adventure of the Purloined Periapt
The Adventure of the Limping Man
The Adventure of the Seven Passengers
The Adventure of the Lost Holiday
The Adventure of the Man With a Broken Face

Title: The Adventures of Solar Pons
Author: August Derleth
Year: 1976 (first published 1945)
Publisher: Futura
Purchase: Amazon.co.uk.

Check out the official Solar Pons website: www.solarpons.com. You can also Like Solar Pons on Facebook.

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